The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a draft request for applications (RFA) on May 17 for organizations seeking to participate in the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model for 2011-2016. Applicants should have experience coordinating care under financial risk sharing contracts and be ready to adopt value-based and outcomes-based payment models that CMS will be field-testing with such organizations over the next five years.   CMS expects through this RFA to select 30 organizations, each serving at least 15,000 Medicare beneficiaries (5,000 in rural areas).   The RFA is scheduled to be published officially in the Federal Register on May 20 and the application due date is expected to be 60 days thereafter.   This research project is just one of several Medicare and Medicaid ACO initiatives under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) meant to control costs by creating incentives to improve coordination of care among providers, reduce duplication of services, and avoid medical errors.  CMS also announced on May 17 that it will be seeking public comments by June 17 on a proposal for additional up-front grant funding to support ACO development and that it will be sponsoring the first of several regional ACO development training sessions for provider organizations and the public in Minneapolis on June 20-22.